Christine Gutowski

Nursing

Christine Gutowski's road to being a college graduate took many detours. She graduated high school in 1999, had her first daughter in 2005, joined the Army in 2009, and learned she was having another child in the fall of 2020 – just as she applied for entry into Delaware Tech's nursing program. Her mother's passing at the end of that same semester gave her more motivation to persevere to graduation.

"I made her a promise that I would graduate, no matter what," Gutowski said. "I'm pushing through not only for that promise, but to show our children that going after your dreams doesn't have an age limit."

Gutowski has not only persevered through the nursing program but has thrived at the College. She was a student speaker at the 2021 Veterans Day celebration and the 2020 Academic Excellence ceremony and is the vice president of marketing for the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and treasurer for the Student Government Association.

"My mother was able to be at the Academic Excellence ceremony and watched me speak about college life and celebrate the fact that I managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA in my first semester," she said. "I was extremely shy coming into my student career at Delaware Tech, I have slowly grown more confident in speaking in front of people and just getting my voice out there.

"Joining organizations and clubs also help you in other aspects of your life, such as public speaking and getting you out of your shell. The College offers many different things that can help a student in their experience."

Gutowski said she chose nursing as her major after becoming interested in the profession when her daughter was born in 2005 and learning and applying the skills she learned during her six years in the Army as a healthcare specialist (medic). She chose Delaware Tech because she only heard good things about the nursing program from alumni.

"I've made so many memories with classmates and have had some amazing instructors," Gutowski said. "My entire time in the nursing program has created some amazing memories."

She also only has good things to say about how helpful the College's learning resources are for students.

"For my first semester, I went to the tutoring center in the library once a week for the class I knew I would struggle with," Gutowski said. "I also took advantage of the student-led sessions for Anatomy and Physiology, and study groups are also a great thing to create with fellow classmates."

After graduation, Gutowski plans on staying at Delaware Tech and enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. After that, she's considering careers as a pediatric nurse or nurse practitioner.